Auction reviews in Cincinnati

Real People ~ Real Reviews ~ Real Results

Holy cow. These folks need a major class action against them. This is an online auction site that is extremely deceiving and unethical in my view. I found them online looking for area estate sales, and they were by far the first that came up. I got burned bigtime. The estate sale when I found the site that was closing that night was in Blue Ash 10 minutes from me (except it wasn't an estate sale it was them selling off items from their warehouse). I wanted to place bids quickly because the bids were down to the wire, so I didn't read all their "you agree to the terms of service" disclaimers which they make you click prior to placing a $2 bid and after you signed up which requires your credit card including security code. I figured the shipment terms could be worked out later since it was 10 miles away (WRONG) So I bid on some great items totaling around $70, then this week learned EBTH shipment which UPS quoted as around $20 will cost me $95. I owe them ~188 for $70 in bids. The customer service when I wanted to know the specifics of what I was paying for that cost $95 to ship this 10 minutes down the hwy took my complaint and said she would confirm that charges are accurate with the warehouse but 24 hrs later no callback.. Because she said if I don't take the shipment I would pay the $70 in goods anyway, but not the shipping charges which were more and they would keep the purchases, I asked her how long I had to make up my mind. She never answered my question. I see under terms and conditions now on their website that I have 7 days, but sorry they already charged my card for~ 180 for 70 in bids. There are other interesting things like inside an estate sale clearly with all items being pick up for free they will bury items like 2 Chinese 19th century chairs which my son bid $2 on that are oops ship only no pickup because they are actually owned by EBTH and buried in valid estate sales. Those chairs buried within another estate sale are actually being sold by EBTH. We have the winning bid of $2 (no surprise) because delivery charges are $238 for our $2 bid. If you don't take the merchandise, they will **** your account anyway per online feedback and what their customer service told me yesterday. Additionally, I notice that there are strange 5 and 6 digit bidders when you look at bid history on select items who step in to up the ante. It is only on VERY expensive items. Things worth way more than the going bid. That isn't in their terms of service though that we will be bidding against EBTH if that indeed is what is occurring. A good example of this is two very interesting lion handcut in marble pairing which I bid up to $143. They are old and probably 100 lbs each. Turns out I was bidding against a 5 digit number where my number is 13 digits. It is obviously a bot. Similar items sell for over $1000 which is probably why the bot kicked in. The pair of chairs that my son placed a $2 bid on not realizing they were going to charge $238 to ship them down the hwy 10 miles... Those exact chairs sold at 2334 USD for 6 at a Christy's auction. You better be on your toes if you deal with EBTH. Maybe you can avoid being screwed like me. Good luck!

- Linda B.

I didn't get the china cabinet. Several days before pickup, I contacted them to ask about the dimensions of each piece so I could make sure I'd rented the appropriate size truck. Two days later, after a response saying they'd look into it, the CSR responded saying that the top of the cabinet had been delivered to Cincinnati but the base hadn't. She offered a refund, but I asked to hold off while the base was located as I really loved the cabinet and had won at an very good price. 29 days later, I had heard nothing more from them until I contacted them to ask what the situation was. I was put off for several days. Today I get an email saying that when the base of the cabinet hadn't been shipped to Cincinnati, their Chicago branch "donated" it. Perhaps if it had been won at a higher price it would not have been "lost"? They did say they'd refund my money, but the whole experience was so bad that I cannot recommend using them.

- Kendra S.

the team assigned to actually do the sale (NOT sell the sale that person was aggressive and very pushy) were very good .The amount I paid was 35% plus 3% for credit cards .I understand that now just a few months later the fee has gone from 35 to 45 which is ridiculous . The descriptions were poor and some inaccurate and one item that i paid 7K for I got 300 for and a previous identical one sold for over 2K .I was very very disappointed. One item sold has caused huge heartache by my son-it was given to him by his deceased Dad I have tried by email to get the administrators to contact the buyer to give him /her my email address and cell phone mumber so I can see if I can buy it back and they refuse .The reason cited in privacy bu the buyer was in my home to pick the item up so my privacy was NOT honored.They have NO compassion nor customer service they only want to make money.The staff turn over is unbelievable and at $10 an hour it is appalling.

- J K.

their response was essentially that there was nothing they could do, though I think there was nothing they wanted to do about it. I won an online auction of a purse by a famous designer. She committed suicide days later, sending the value of her work skyrocketing. Oops; they "lost" the purse.

- Susan and Tom B.

Tom himself came to pick up 2 truckloads of household goods from my large house including a beautiful dining room set including dining table and chairs, a huge breakfront China cabinet in perfect condition (original cost 11k), and a matching Bakers rack, and loads of plastic tubs of household decorations, slightly used kitchen appliances and serving items, a huge tub of office equipment and supplies as well as misc household items in the first trip. Their 12 ft trailer truck was packed to the to top. They returned to take a variety of lawn furniture, yard equipment plus my pool table and equipment. He was very nice and seemed professional and said they would inventory items and send me a listing of items as they were catalogued into their system.
I waited for over a months with no call then I called and Tom told me that they were really back logged and had not done anything with the items yet. Shortly after I left town for about 4 months and when I returned, still no word and the same excuse, they were back logged. I decided to give them some grace...anyone can fall into a backlog of work....
After that I experienced some serious health issues and the items were actually put out of my mind for some time while I was treated and recovered. My call backs after that were unreturned.
Finally I wrote a lengthy letter asking for an accounting of the sale of my items. Tom wrote back that they had sold the items, apologized for it taking so long and he would send my check....you can't imagine my surprise when I opened it to find a check which amounted to a total of sales of 1400.00 of which a little over 950.00 was sent to me. !! Really??? Two full truckloads and 2... Yes! 2 years later...multiple phone called and letters and I got such a pittance??? I realize that often folks claim that their belongings are worth much more than some might think....but I am a single woman who had nice things and, no kids, no animals, securely packaged....this was not just an insult, but a robbery!! There was no inventory liisting of what he sold for how much and the check ledger only read for the dining room furniture and a few other small items!! Where was the rest???....where did 2 truckloads of my belongings go?????

This was the most violating feeling that this man and his company actually stole my belongings and, after 2 years of waiting...he had the audacity to take his full 40% as well! So now, every time I think of something I used to own that went into his trusty truck was not sold but stolen from me. I cannot drive past his store without a feeling of regret and loss.

- Paula M.

They have been doing sales in my area. They had no true information. They would not give me any information. I think they are a scam. I put in a bid. They ignored my bid because I didn't put in my credit card information.

- Eleanor M.

I won a lovely necklace in an auction that ended on Monday evening, Jan. 20, 2014. I did not receive an email until the second day after telling me I had won and how to pay, but I had already found the pay section on the website and also saw the hours set for pick up of items. Since I had to work that (one) day and be somewhere else that evening, I could not make the pick up time in the 5-hour window and there did not seem to be any options. I paid for shipping. This is from Cincinnati to Ft. Thomas, KY. (A friend later told me that you can make other arrangements, but I did not see that stated.) The package arrived a week later, on Jan. 27. I was surprised at such a cheap paper envelope, with only a self-stick closure. Inside, the black velvet jeweler's box was obviously broken at the hinge and inside it was a slip of paper: the description of the item, folded neatly in fourths. That was it. No necklace, no printout (The above-mentioned friend told me hers always came with a printout.). No zip-top bag to contain the contents nor any tape on the envelope flap.
It is my assumption that the jeweler's box was broken in transit and the gold chain snaked its way out of the open spaces at the top of the flap. Someone probably had a very easy prize before delivery of my broken, empty package.
I contacted EBTH through their website on the 27th and their zendesk contacted me. Today, 1/29, it received an email saying they were 'appalled' that this happened and that they ship their items with 'utmost care'. If this is how they ship their pieces, I'm glad I didn't get anything more expensive. My credit card is going to credit me with a stolen item, since the cost is within my claim amount with them.
I love the idea of the site and was thrilled to win the necklace for my daughter's 16th birthday coming up in November. I will never be able to find another like it. I am so disgusted with the thoughtless packaging. I had also bought buttons (BUTTONS) from an eBay site that week and they came on the same day. The buttons were wrapped in tissue paper, then put into small zip-top bags, and the envelope flap was secured with the mailing label and clear packing tape. $12 worth of buttons.

- STANLEY & CATHERINE R.

Our experience picking up the bed was poor. However, after leaving a review on Angie's List, one of the partners in the company called me and addressed all my concerns. The nasty woman I experienced was the home-owner, not a full time employee of EBTH. Mike with EBTH let me know they were adjusting their policies, and not allowing home-owners to attend the sales of their property, and requiring all dogs to be locked up during those times. I greatly appreciated his response and the credit to our account. My experience picking up the bed from the rude homeowner was so poor that I have to give an overall B rating, but Mike's response was indeed an A+.

- Sarah C.

Went ok. The freight cost was taken from the total sales and I still received almost $500.00 for two pieces of furniture. There were some old electric trains that were also taken that I have not received any money for. I don't know if they sold in a group of other toys or if Everything But the House still has them. But in all fairness, I have not inquired about the trains. Everything But the House is a good resource to move items that still have resale value without the hassle of doing the work yourself. It's surprising what items are considered valuable for resale. I would use them again.

- Mark H.

Even though I live near Montgomery I have chosen to go to this location even though its not convenient because they are much more user friendly. I have a mechanic that calls me by my first name and I can call him whenever I have an issue. They are very personable and professional. They treat you like they are your personal friend; you can tell customer service is extremely important to them. They send out surveys every time I am there and they make sure their customers are happy.